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bookpossum's review against another edition
2.0
This book really didn’t appeal to me in the way I was expecting it to do. A disappointment.
tasmanian_bibliophile's review against another edition
4.0
‘And adults are part of this pretence – they hold one thing in their hand and call it another.’
It’s 1953, and just outside the small country town of Cohuna in adjacent farmhouses live Harry and Betty. Harry is a dairy farmer and keen birdwatcher, tending his cows in accordance with the rhythms of milking and breeding. Harry was once married, but his wife left him for another birdwatcher. He wonders what went wrong. Betty, the woman next door, is bringing up two children on her own. Betty works at the aged-care centre in town, worries about her children (Michael and Hazel) and imagines a physical relationship with Harry. Harry is something of a father figure for Michael and Hazel, and when he realises how confused Michael is about ‘things with girls’ he writes to Michael about the things he wished he’d known at the same age. Perhaps, if Harry had known more about sex, been both less ignorant and less eager, his wife wouldn’t have left him. Perhaps. Unfortunately, Harry hasn’t spoken with Betty before writing these letters for Michael.
‘Time, in Harry’s understanding is measured in the body. It has something to do with the lungs and the taking in and expelling of air.’
Much of this novel is about records: Harry’s bird watching diary; Betty’s record of her children’s illnesses; Hazel’s nature diary and Harry’s letters to Michael. Harry, the pragmatic farmer, is poetic. Hazel is observant and matter of fact, while Michael is walking the difficult path of adolescence. Betty would like more from life, but isn’t quite sure how to proceed.
In this novel, the natural world is both character and backdrop. Beauty and routine, the mundane and the tragic are all part of life experienced by Betty and Harry. Michael is trying to make sense of his own place in a world which always looks different when adolescence kicks in and Hazel is both observant and resilient. The natural world applies to humans as well as to animals and birds. Well of course it does, but it isn’t always as clearly integrated as it is here.
‘What is the fixative that causes one memory to congeal and set, while others dissolve?’
I enjoyed this novel. It is quietly different and beautifully written. It was recently announced (on 17 April 2013) as the inaugural winner of the Stella Prize 2013.
Jennifer Cameron-Smith
It’s 1953, and just outside the small country town of Cohuna in adjacent farmhouses live Harry and Betty. Harry is a dairy farmer and keen birdwatcher, tending his cows in accordance with the rhythms of milking and breeding. Harry was once married, but his wife left him for another birdwatcher. He wonders what went wrong. Betty, the woman next door, is bringing up two children on her own. Betty works at the aged-care centre in town, worries about her children (Michael and Hazel) and imagines a physical relationship with Harry. Harry is something of a father figure for Michael and Hazel, and when he realises how confused Michael is about ‘things with girls’ he writes to Michael about the things he wished he’d known at the same age. Perhaps, if Harry had known more about sex, been both less ignorant and less eager, his wife wouldn’t have left him. Perhaps. Unfortunately, Harry hasn’t spoken with Betty before writing these letters for Michael.
‘Time, in Harry’s understanding is measured in the body. It has something to do with the lungs and the taking in and expelling of air.’
Much of this novel is about records: Harry’s bird watching diary; Betty’s record of her children’s illnesses; Hazel’s nature diary and Harry’s letters to Michael. Harry, the pragmatic farmer, is poetic. Hazel is observant and matter of fact, while Michael is walking the difficult path of adolescence. Betty would like more from life, but isn’t quite sure how to proceed.
In this novel, the natural world is both character and backdrop. Beauty and routine, the mundane and the tragic are all part of life experienced by Betty and Harry. Michael is trying to make sense of his own place in a world which always looks different when adolescence kicks in and Hazel is both observant and resilient. The natural world applies to humans as well as to animals and birds. Well of course it does, but it isn’t always as clearly integrated as it is here.
‘What is the fixative that causes one memory to congeal and set, while others dissolve?’
I enjoyed this novel. It is quietly different and beautifully written. It was recently announced (on 17 April 2013) as the inaugural winner of the Stella Prize 2013.
Jennifer Cameron-Smith
jocelyn_sp's review against another edition
4.0
This is beautifully written, with interesting, believable characters, although they are given as sketches or impressions, rather than detailed portraits. I loved the parallel nature diaries. I found the central secret disturbing. Partly because of its potentially disastrous inappropriateness, which gave a good tension to the book but I found it hard to believe the character would go so far, and partly because it was sometimes so erotic - it made me uncomfortable, feeling that it verged on pornographic, that a man reading would be aroused. At the same time the man's theories about sex and women were sometimes funny.
I just re-read this book. This was strange because I had almost completely forgotten the book, and liked it much less than I did when I read it the first time.
I just re-read this book. This was strange because I had almost completely forgotten the book, and liked it much less than I did when I read it the first time.
margwould's review against another edition
3.0
A sensory experience of life living in country Australia. The vignettes into a persons life and how things from the past shape the present.
caribouffant's review against another edition
1.0
Unsexy, unsexy sex. And lots of birds, also having sex.
angellaw's review against another edition
5.0
The story was earthy and visceral and filled with references to the bodies of people and animals. The observations of the natural world were at times beautiful and at times disturbing.
I highly enjoyed Carrie Tiffany's original writing. For example:
'He took a Sao and ate it dry just to put something in his mouth, just to hear the sound of it breaking rudely in his head - like kindling; like words.'
Tiffany's portrayal of the slow building relationship between Harry and Betty was subtle and delightfully captured human longing. I loved this book.
I highly enjoyed Carrie Tiffany's original writing. For example:
'He took a Sao and ate it dry just to put something in his mouth, just to hear the sound of it breaking rudely in his head - like kindling; like words.'
Tiffany's portrayal of the slow building relationship between Harry and Betty was subtle and delightfully captured human longing. I loved this book.
rhodaj's review against another edition
4.0
The title of this book has double meanings for an Australian reader - both "mateship" and "birds" have dual meanings, so I had an idea of what the content would be before I started it. I wasn't wrong! Harry's attempts to educate Michael in the birds and the bees were very clumsy and amusing (although Michael's mother wasn't amused!).
I loved how this book really captured country life in Australia and that it mentioned towns that I'm familiar with. The journal that Harry keeps about the kookaburra family was gorgeous! I loved reading about them.
I thought this was quite a cleverly written book and I enjoyed the different anecdotes throughout it about both the humans and the animals. The only criticism I have about it was that I thought in a couple of places it was just overly crass for no apparent reason. I also found one scene involving a shooting very unpleasant.
Although I would have ideally given this book a 3.5 rating, I've given it 4 rather than 3 simply because I loved the way the author captured that country town feel and I liked Harry's kookaburra journal, which was almost written as poetry.
Lastly, as I won this book on First Reads, I would like to thank Hayley for the chance to read and review this book.
I loved how this book really captured country life in Australia and that it mentioned towns that I'm familiar with. The journal that Harry keeps about the kookaburra family was gorgeous! I loved reading about them.
I thought this was quite a cleverly written book and I enjoyed the different anecdotes throughout it about both the humans and the animals. The only criticism I have about it was that I thought in a couple of places it was just overly crass for no apparent reason. I also found one scene involving a shooting very unpleasant.
Although I would have ideally given this book a 3.5 rating, I've given it 4 rather than 3 simply because I loved the way the author captured that country town feel and I liked Harry's kookaburra journal, which was almost written as poetry.
Lastly, as I won this book on First Reads, I would like to thank Hayley for the chance to read and review this book.
alldebooks's review against another edition
3.0
I found this a little perplexing and frustrating at times. The story centres around 2 neighbouring families in the Australian outback. The writing is quite beautiful and prosaic, however I found it a little disjointed at times and read more like interconnecting short stories rather than a novel.
I really enjoyed the nature notes and this is very much an ode to nature. My main problem was a serious incident occurs early on in the novel of such traumatic consequence that you would expect it to be allluded to again. It is kind of brushed over and I'm a little confused as to whether this is intentional and depicts the characters resignation at their lives and experiences. I find this hard to accept and for that reason I didn't enjoy this as much as I thought.
I really enjoyed the nature notes and this is very much an ode to nature. My main problem was a serious incident occurs early on in the novel of such traumatic consequence that you would expect it to be allluded to again. It is kind of brushed over and I'm a little confused as to whether this is intentional and depicts the characters resignation at their lives and experiences. I find this hard to accept and for that reason I didn't enjoy this as much as I thought.
charmaineclancy's review against another edition
2.0
This book has an interesting concept of reflecting on the birdlife (and indeed other animal life) in a small country town as it tells the story of the people. I did like the honesty in the physical descriptions of people and felt the fragility of the characters was portrayed well. I didn't enjoy the mixing of prose as I felt it wasn't done deftly and seemed forced. I found one character to dislike extremely, but couldn't attach myself with any affection to any of the others; they just weren't likable enough to me. I also felt the bleak portrayal of country life was a little unfair and not true reflection.
I struggled along, but felt not enough was happening in this literary story, stopped reading about halfway. There's many who love this novel, so it might just be a matter of different tastes.
I struggled along, but felt not enough was happening in this literary story, stopped reading about halfway. There's many who love this novel, so it might just be a matter of different tastes.